3beta, 11alpha-dihydroxy-5-pregnene-7, 20-dione and esters thereof



United States Patent 3p,11a-DIHYDROXY-5-PREGNENE-7,20-DIONE AND ESTERS THEREOF Herbert C. Murray, Hickory Corners, and Darcy H. Peterson, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignors to The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich., a corporation of Michigan No Drawing. Application July 1, 1952, Serial No. 296,743

7 Claims. (cl. zoo-397.45

The esters are prepared by the acylation of 36,11wdihydroxy-S-pregnene-7,20-dione. The 3fl,l1a-dihydroxy- 5-pregnene-7,20-dione is prepared by subjecting pregnenolone (3,B-hydroxy-S-pregnene-20-one) to the oxygenating action of the culture of fungus of the order Mucorales as set forth in our application Serial No. 296,740, filed Julyl, 1952', now abandoned, and our applications, of which the present application is a continuation-in-part, Serial No. 180,496, filed August 19, 1950,. now abandoned, and Serial No. 272,944, filed February 23, 1952, issued July 8, 1952, as Patent No. 2,602,769.

It is an object of this invention to prepare the novel 318,11a-dihydroxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione and 35,1la-d1- acyloxy-5-pregnene-7,20-diones. Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

The thermostable compounds of the present invention have exhibited pharmacological proportion such as antihypertensive, anti-estrogenic, anti-progesterone, antitestoid, anti-folliculoid, and anaesthetic activities. Furthermore the esters of the present invention are a readily purified derivative of 3,3,1lu-dihydroxy-S-pregnene-7,20- dione. The esters of the present invention, by reacting the ester with a mild alkali to obtain the nn-esterified 35,11 dihydroxy-S-pregnene-7,20-dione, and oxidation of the thus-obtained compound, for example, with chromium trioxide in acetic acid, yields 3p-hydroxy-5-pregnene- 7,1 1,20-trione.

In the process of the present invention the starting 3,9,11u-dihydroxy--pregnene-7,20-dione is admixed with an acylating agent such as, for example, ketene, ketenes of selected acids, selected acids, acid anhydrides, or acid chlorides, in an organic solvent such as pyradine or the like. The thus-described acylation process is productive of the mono, and di-esters of 3B,11a-dihydroxy-5- pregnene-7,20-dione although in different proportions, depending upon the proportions of acylating agent to 3 3,11a-dihydroxy 5 pregnene-7,20-dione. Using one molar equivalent of acylating agent to said steroid produces primarily the monoacylated product, about two molar equivalents is productive of predominantly the diester of 3,9,11a-dihydroxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione.

The following examples will serve to illustrate the process and products of this invention, but the said invention is not to be considered as limited thereto.

PREPARATION 1.-3,8,1 Ia-DmYDROXY-S-PRBGNENE-ZZO- moms A medium was prepared of twenty grams of Edamine enzymatic digest of lactalbumin, three grams of corn steep liquor and fifty grams of technical dextrose diluted 2,703,326 Patented Mar. 1, 1956 to one liter with tap water and adjusted to a pH of 4.3 to 4.5. Eight liters of this sterilized medium was inoculated with Rhizopus arrhizus ATCC 11145, and incubated for nineteen hours at a temperature of 28 degrees centigrade using a rate of aeration and stirring such that the oxygen uptake was 6.3 to 7 millimoles per hour per liter of NazSOa according to the method of Cooper, Fern strom and Miller, Ind. Eng. Chem., 36, 504 (1944). To this medium containing a nineteen hour growth of Rhizopus arrhizus was added two grams of pregnenolone' (3fi-hydroxy-S-pregnene-20-one) in twenty milliliters of acetone to provide a suspension of the steroid in the cul-' ture. After an additional 75 hour period of incubation under the same conditions of temperature and aeration, the beer and mycelium were extracted. The mycelium was filtered, washed twice, each time with a volume of acetone approximately equal to the volume of the my celium and extracted-twice, each timewith a volume of methylene chloride approximately equal to the volume of the mycelium.- The acetone and methylene chloride extracts including solvent were added to the beer fil-' trate. The mixed extracts and beer filtrate were ex tracted successively with four liters of methylene chlo ride and then with threetwo-liter portions of methylene chloride. The combined methylene chloride extracts were washed with two one-tenth by volume portions of a two percent aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate and then with two one-tenth by volume portions of w'a ter. After drying the methylene chloride with about three to five grams'of anhydrous sodium sulfate'per liter of solvent and filtering, the solvent was removed by distillation leaving 3.3162 grams of crystalline residue. This residue was dissolved in 200 milliliters of benzene and chromatographed over 100. grams of alumina (acid.

washed, dried at 120 degrees centigrade for four hours). The column was developed with 200 milliliter portions of solvent as indicated in Table I.

Table I Eluate Fraction Solvent Solids Milligrams benzene 195 benzene plus 5 percent ether 70 benzene plus 10 percent ether 5t) benzene plus percent ethc 11 ether .1 7 ether plus 5 percent 011013. S ether plus 10 percent CHCh. 1.. 32 ether plus 50 percent ,CHCh 108 chloroform 590 GHgh plus 5 percent acetone. 37 o 24 CHOI; plus 10 percent acetone 43 .do 37 CHO]: plus 50 percent acetone 171 -do 155 399 0 110 acetone plus 5 percent methanol... 244 .do 125 acetone plus 10 percent methanolun 118 acetone plus 50 percent methanol 73 methanol .t 27

Eluate fractions 24 through 27 were dissolved in ten milliliters of methanol and concentrated until crystallization occurred. A few drops of water were added to facilitate completion of the crystallization, the mixture was cooled, and the crystals were filtered free of supernatant liquid yielding 382 milligrams of crystalline 3,6,11a-dihydroxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione having a melting point of 228 to 230 degrees centigrade.

Example 1 .3 ;3,1 1 u-diacetoxy-j-pregnene-7,20-di0ne A 54.5 milligram sample of 33,1101 dihydroxy 4 pregnene-3,20-dione was dissolved in 1.5 milliliters of acetic anhydride and 1.5 milliliters of absolute pyridine and maintained at room temperature for 24 hours whereafter the reaction mixture is diluted with 35 milliliters of water and refrigerated for three hours. The resulting crystalline precipitate was removed by filtration, washed with two milliliters of cold water, and recrystallized from one milliliter of methanol to which ether had been Skellysolve B, petroleum ether, 17.5 milligrams of crystals were obtained which melted at 189 degrees Centigrade. Infrared absorption spectrum confirmed the structure; th km alu wa 33,42

fl yris- Calcula od or Czsfiuosz C, 6 -96. F un C, 6 H, 7.50-

Other .r pr se tativc 31 1 t oylo y--p esnone 7,2o-

iones hich can be Prepared, in th ame m nner as s von in E ample 1., includ ne t ei carbon a carb yli aci a yloxv e ters of satura d or n tura al phati oarbocyclio, cy l al p c, y a y y alkaryl, mono, di or polycarbonylic acids which form estorg oups u h a or ampl mylo v, t y, p ptonyloxy d mot yl cetoxy; tr rno hyl c t y, y yloxyt. alc y xy, hoxan yl xy, hepta -toy xy, t n y oxy bon y, phenylaoot y, t uoylo y, y m formvlo v, l yclop n lp p nylo rylvl xy, cy lohoxylf r ylo y the h lf a d d ster of m loni ma o s ci io, lu a and adipi ac ds, and the like. Th cid may l nta n non-interfe ing b it en such as mono or poly halo, chloro, bromo, hydroxy, methoxy, nd the like, if so s re If a m xed ester inv l in two diff rent y up is desired the 35,11 dihydroxy S-pregnene-ZZO-dione may e pa t l y to ifio i h one oyla ing ag t and he r s lti g mono-e ter may hen be comp tely asteritied w th an oylating gen h ch introduces a diii ront y up hu fl-dim ylacetoxy 11a flQYdQ' pentylpr p ny xyp og J -di ne or ot r mixed esters of the herein mentioned acid groups may be pre pa Example 2 .--3 13,1 1 at-dipkriqpionyloxy-5-pregrter1c 7,20-

7 tone In the same manner as given in Example 1, 39,110;- dipropionyloxy-S-pregnene-7,20-dione is prepared using the equivalent proportion of propionic anhydride in place of acetic anhydride.

Example 3 .--3 5,1 1 a-r iibenzoxy-S-pregnene-7;20-dione In the same manner as given in Example 1, 3fl,11a-dibenzoxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dipne is prepared using the equivalent proportion of benzoyl chloride in place of acetic anhydride.

Example 4.3 8,11a-dihexanoyloxy-S-pregnene-7,20-dione Example 5 .--3;8,1 1 a-di( fl-cyclopentylpropionyloxy 5 -pregn ene -7,,.Z o-d ione In the same manner as given in Example 1, 311,11- di(;8 cyclopentylpropionyloxy) -5-pregnene-7,20-dione is prepared using the equivalent proportion of fl-cyclopentylpropionyl chloride in place of acetic anhydride.

It is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the exact details of operation or exact compounds shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A compound selected from the group consisting of 3,8,11u-dihydroxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione and 3f3,11a-dlhydroxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione esters of hydrocarbon carboxylic acid containing less than nine carbon atoms.

2. 3 8, 1 1a-dihydrOXy-S-pregnene-7,20Pdione.

3. 33,110; dihydroxy-S-pregnene-7,20-dione ester of hydrocarbon carboxylic acid containing less than nine carbon atoms.

4. 35,1la !diacetoxy-pregnene 7,20-di0ne.

3mlat-diptop oov ypmtm -ZZO-dione.

6. 3/3,1lmadibenzoxy-5-pregnene-7,20-dione,

7. 35,111: dig? cyclopentylpropionyloxy) 5 pregnene-7,20.-dione.

No references cited. 

1. A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 3B, 11A-DIHYDROXY-5-PREGNENE-7,20-DIONE AND 3B, 11A-DIHYDROXY-5-PREGNENE-7,20-DIONE ESTERS OF HYDROCARBON CARBOXYLIC ACID CONTAINING LESS THAN NINE CARBON ATOMS. 